Movie Review: 'Terminator Salvation'

May 24, 2:01 PMDallas Movie ExaminerCasey Cavalier

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Christian Bale (left) and Sam Worthington.

"Terminator Salvation," the newest installment of the popular film franchise, is set in 2018. A post-apocalyptic war rages between Skynet with its Terminators and The Resistance with its scrappy band of humans.

Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the resistance leader tasked with rising up against the heavy-handed Skynet and its army of Terminators.

Unfortunately, the future Connor believes in is altered by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row.

Bale is more than adequate as Connors, a convincing leader and a regular badass. To his credit, he yields part of the film’s spotlight to Worthington who deserves as much, if not more. Wright adds bark to Connor’s bite, thought the two do not always understand each other.

Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese helps to move forward what little story we’re offered. His youth, and that of his young sidekick, Star (Jadagrace), could serve as the entry point to infuse the storyline with heart, but the opportunity is lost. Like Star, the film’s humanity is mute. We’re given a straight action film with little in the way of a story to weigh it down.

As Skynet prepares for its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus battle their way into the nucleus of Skynet operations where they meet face to face with the possibility of mankind’s annihilation.

Director McG is no James Cameron and that’s a good thing. He brings a new set of skills to the table, and an uber-style that modernizes the Terminator franchise, though he can’t resist using the line “I’ll be back” or casting a CGI-Arnold to fight briefly in one of the battles.

"Terminator Salvation" slides swiftly on the precision rails that McG and his special effects crews have crafted. A better developed story would have sealed the deal. As is, it’s a technical marvel that shrieks past while audiences may be left asking for more substance.